The Broken Compass
by JediSue
Summary: Carly's lies come back to haunt her in a shocking twist. An alternate "ending" story".
1. Chapter 1

**The following question was posted on a message board recently:** _If you were a new character in Oakdale, which family would you want to be related to?_

That was the inspiration for this story, which is an alternate-ending type story. Except that in my version, ATWT is really not going to end in September 2010. It's going to continue forever. My version starts after Carly, Jack, Dusty, and Janet realize that Carly and Jack want to be together as do Dusty and Janet. There is no "who's the daddy" storyline with Janet (because there is no baby), Rocco doesn't die, and there is no fire at Monte Carlo.

I'm working with almost fifteen years of history, and I've done my best to not delete any of it. The only thing that I have knowingly changed is that I created a name for Luke's foundation (I'm not sure that it has one) and I changed the purpose of it slightly so it can be used as a nod to past history on the show.

**Chapter One**

Luke is sitting behind his desk at the Snyder AIDS Foundation, pouring over bank statements and he is getting a headache. His cell phone rings and he is happy to see Alison's name pop up. He could use the distraction. "Hi Ali."

"Do you want to meet for coffee?" The friends make plans to meet at Java. Luke picks up the bank statements and walks out the door with them.

Alison takes one look at Luke and realizes something is wrong.

"I'm overwhelmed," he tells her when she inquires about his mood. "Noah won't talk to me, and the foundation isn't making any money. I'm trying to help people and make a difference in the world. I can't do that if I'm running out of money."

"Can't your mom help?"

Luke explains to Alison that he wants to do it on his own. Lily would give him the money in a heartbeat, but he doesn't want to do that. The foundation is his baby and right now it's the one thing that feels right to him. He just needs to come up with a plan...


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

As Luke and Alison are brainstorming at Java, Carly is arranging a flower display on her coffee table. She is practically giddy, and you can see it in her facial expressions. She has waited a long time to get Jack back, all to herself. Now she can focus on her designs. She is confident that this time, Monte Carlo is going to be a huge success. She knows that she can convince Jack that being in business with Craig will be different this time. Everything is falling into place, and she couldn't be happier. She grabs her sketchbook and her keys and heads out the door.

Parker comes down the stairs, just missing his mother. He picks up the phone to call Liberty. Every time he talks to her, his heart skips a beat. Even though he doesn't want her to see it, he is worried about her. He hopes that the treatments are working, because he doesn't know what he would do without her in his life. She's had a rough year and he has tried to be there for her, but he never knows where he stands. After several rings, Liberty picks up the phone.

"Hi, Parker." Her voice sounds tired, but she is happy to hear from him.

"How are you feeling?" Parker asks, always worried at what her response might be.

"I'm tired and I'm scared. I get my test results tomorrow and I'm worried how my mom will handle the news if it isn't good. Are you going to be here?"

Parker assures her that he will be right there, holding her hand, when the doctor delivers her prognosis.

"Thank you. I never would have been able to get through this without you". Liberty smiles a sad smile and hangs up the phone.

Carly arrives at the Monte Carlo office and sits down at her desk with her sketchbook. She is humming to herself as her pencil furiously whips across the page. She holds the book out to take a look at her creation and smiles to herself. "I can't wait to design my wedding dress," she murmurs. The look on her face gives away her doubts that maybe she is thinking too far ahead. Jack is, after all, still married to Janet.

"I'm not going to think about that," she says to her sketchbook. "Everything is going to work out."

As she flips to a clean page, the office door opens and Jack walks in with a huge grin on his face. He's holding an envelope and hands it to Carly.

Opening the envelope, Carly's smile widens. "Divorce papers." She kisses him and tells him that she will never let him go…


End file.
